


Very Well

by babyblueglasses



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Aesir, Emotional Sex, First Time, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Really just some slow burn leading up to pwp, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tony and self-denial, trope breaks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 08:10:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3643017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyblueglasses/pseuds/babyblueglasses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The rumors about Asgard’s second prince are simple — he’s abrasive and reclusive. Tony Stark, Asgard’s child prodigy, would happily say that the rumors are completely true. There’s nothing pleasant about Prince Loki. And Tony’s never wrong, is he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Very Well

Tony stood at the front of the laboratory, grinning as he prepared to impress. He was before a modest group of carefully selected Aesir scientists, armed only with his knowledge on an item freshly relieved from the prestigious vault. The golden sextant-like instrument glided forward in its holder, then glided back on the track, seesawing back and forth. It was an honor to work with the device, and Tony was basking in his own ego as he geared up to start. 

The room staring back at him had a right to their own egos as well, which only made it sweeter to Tony. Twenty of Asgard’s brightest, gifted with access to the best of the realm’s technology, with only the task of making it better. 

“I’m sure everyone’s eager to get hands-y,” Tony said, grinning as he slid his hand along the desk behind the device. “But keep it in your pants until we go over a couple of the specs on this work of art.” There were a few light smiles. Tony was just getting started. He didn’t hear the door to the side of him roll open, or see the figure that appeared. He assumed that everyone was looking at him. “Swinging the bar here so that it’s parallel with the internal level activates the self-righting mechanism so that it’s stable,” Tony said. “Not like my—” A pale hand swept into his view, flicking the golden bar forward with a sharp flip of a finger. 

“You lined it improperly,” Loki said, walking past him without so much as a glance in his direction. Loki took a seat in the front row, materializing a clipboard in his lap, and taking out a pen. Tony felt his cheeks flush ever so slightly. The instrument had stilled immediately. _That asshole. What the hell was he doing here?_

The question leapt into everyone’s mind. Tiny whispers flew across the room as Tony’s voice came on too strong, overcompensating for the ire he felt at the prince’s unannounced attendance. They had to be getting evaluated for something. Tony strained to see what Loki was writing down as he went over another specification. The god glanced up, hard and unyielding as he met Tony’s eyes. Almost like he was challenging Tony. Or maybe it was just that Tony already wanted to get back at the guy for ruining his presentation with that entrance. 

Tony was a genius. He’d been selected for work in this laboratory when he was a kid, unlike all of the other Aesir that had gone through decades or centuries of studies. He’d never been publicly embarrassed for incompetency. His own actions, sure, but never his work. There was a line.

“Now things can get freaky,” Tony finished, grinning a little too sharply. It wasn’t playful the way he wanted, but no one seemed to notice or care. They got up from their chairs and returned to their experiments or came up to the device for a closer look. When Tony glanced Loki’s way, he interrupted a thoughtful stare that iced over the instant Tony caught it. 

 

Loki didn’t explain why he was in the laboratory, and no one asked. He showed up twice a week, stayed for the entire day, and kept to himself. The few foolish enough to try starting a conversation were met with swift rebukes or replies so dull and dry that no one kept trying. For his part, Tony stayed on the other side of the lab. He was loud and popular when he wasn’t zoned in, working on something. 

The prince worked on experiments of his own. The engineers’ input was not welcome. There were rumors that he’d been sent there to stay out of Odin’s hair. Others suspected that he was reporting back on them. In general, the prince had a cold, arrogant, reclusive reputation that his manner in the laboratory did nothing to disprove. 

“Maybe he’s just bored,” Bruce suggested one day. Tony pulled his jacket on. 

“Doubt it,” Tony said. He snapped at the collar, flexing his jaw. Bruce shrugged. “He’s working on something.” He started for the door, Bruce following close behind. Bruce wasn’t allowed in the laboratory, technically, but Tony had been sneaking him in for years. He figured that Bruce would qualify to join someday, if only he’d consider applying. 

“Steve’s got a show tonight. I want to get there before the seats fill up,” Bruce said. Tony answered absentmindedly as he glanced back to the lab table Loki always sat at. He locked the door. 

 

After a few months of Loki’s biweekly visits, everyone had accepted his presence in much the same way that they accepted the hum of the refrigeration unit that had been broken for a year, or the ever persistent pen shortage in the laboratory. 

He was absent once. They noticed, but no one commented. 

 

Tony walked down one of the golden pathways leading back from the lab. It was late afternoon, and he’d finished a few minutes early. The weekend was around the corner, and he planned on starting early. Although he counted on spending most of it naked or inebriated or both, he’d still slipped a device from the lab into his pocket. 

He wanted to take it apart one more time just to see how it worked. He thought better in his bedroom anyway. 

Tony was halfway past the fountain when the first arm grabbed him. 

He yelled, thrusting his elbow backwards, but met only air. The second set of hands came around his waist and suddenly he was falling. 

Tony gasped for air. Water rushed in. Weight pinned him. He couldn’t see. 

His scalp shrieked as he was tugged up by his hair, gasping. “Daddy’s precious little boy thinks he can do anything he wants since he’s with the other lab rats, huh?” 

No time for an answer. Just water. His chest seized in agony. 

“If my daddy’s rich, can I buy myself a spot in the lab too, huh Stark?” 

His lungs burned. 

“Then I can sleep with anyone I want, right?” 

Tony choked on the water. And just as suddenly as he was certain that he would drown, light hit his face and air rushed in. He coughed and coughed, kneeling in the fountain, water spilling down his chest. There was a loud, nasty crack behind him. Tony heard the water slosh beside him and became aware of a figure towering over him. A hand was extended beside him. Tony took it without thinking. 

He wiped the water out of his eyes as he was pulled to his feet. “Fuck, thanks,” Tony gasped, heart still pounding. From the corner of his eye he saw one of his assailants, buckled over in the water with blood soaking his hair and neck. 

“He’ll be fine,” Loki said, noticing the look on Tony’s face. He didn’t elaborate, just released Tony’s hand and stepped out of the fountain. Tony shook as he moved to get out, nearly stepping on the other assailant. He frantically checked his pockets.

The device was still there. He let out a huge sigh of relief. “Are you injured?” Loki asked. In the distance, there was a wail. Medics would arrive soon. 

“Yeah. Just, I think I pissed off a boyfriend or something—” Tony said, trying to place the unconscious men on the ground. He had no idea. Didn’t care really. 

“Where?” Loki asked. 

“I don’t know,” Tony said. His head was spinning, and his clothes were drenched. He didn’t know where he’d seen them before, maybe at a bar, or a party—Loki’s hand settled against his forehead as the other went to his wrist. It was clinical and swift. Loki’s hand at his wrist withdrew after a moment, but the one on his forehead stayed. Tony felt something bubbly dance around inside his skull. 

“You should’ve sought a healer for this sooner,” Loki muttered. His concentration did not falter. 

“For what?” Tony asked, snapping back. He pulled away from Loki’s hand. The prince frowned but made no movements to resume the healing. Instead he waited for Tony to speak. “I’m fine,” Tony said. “Just thinking about what I did to piss off these assholes.” He laughed. 

Loki’s lips pulled back uncomfortably. He stared at Tony in a way that saw too much. “That anxiety is an unwise thing to leave untreated.” 

Tony waved him off. “Why’d you help me?” 

Loki stared at him for a moment. Tony was getting used to that stare already, and he didn’t like it. “You are a clever individual, Stark. I certainly would not allow harm to come to you.” Tony’s mind lingered on that _you_. Had it been said differently? Like Tony was some sort of investment that had to be kept around? 

Tony wasn’t given any more time to think about it. The medics arrived, and Loki was loading not only the assailants in with the healers, but nudging Tony to go with them as well. “He says he is injured,” Loki said simply. The medics didn’t argue, and as Tony got in the vehicle, he knew whatever Loki said would be the truth anyway. 

They made appointments for him to come back for healings that he’d never show up for. 

 

Tony expected to see Loki the next day. It wasn’t one of the days that Loki came, but Tony expected it nonetheless. He just felt like Loki should be there, after yesterday. He was disappointed. Loki didn’t show up until two days later, right on schedule. 

He appeared at his usual table, hunched over his usual materials, indifferent to the rest of them as usual. Tony made his way over, catching a few looks. He stopped right beside Loki. The prince did not look up. “Hey.” 

Loki jotted something down on a tablet. “Hey,” Tony said, not certain if he’d been heard. Again, Loki said nothing. Tony sat on the edge of the table. Immediately Loki moved the tablet aside, sitting up with an irritated jolt. 

“There is a highly caustic bottle two inches from your bum, surely you have some notion of self-preservation?” 

Loki’s angry hiss caught the attention of the entire room. Tony didn’t slide away from the table. He couldn’t. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and forced on a grin. “I like to live dangerously.” 

“Moronically,” Loki corrected him. He turned his attention back onto his work, dismissing Tony. It had no effect. 

Tony read over his shoulder. “You know,” Tony said. “If you change the scale on that, the independent variable would make a lot more sense to you.” He leaned down and punched two fingers into the screen before Loki could swat them away. The scale of the graph morphed. Loki’s shoulders dropped as his eyebrow twitched, looking over the data again. Tony tried not to congratulate himself too hard. Oh, who was he kidding. It felt fucking great to prove how smart he was again. 

Loki set the tablet down on the table. His long fingers slipped away from the device. Slowly, his gaze drifted to Tony’s face. “So,” Tony said brightly. “What else can I fix for you?” 

Now, Loki was all smug confidence. A smile balanced on his lips. “You wish to pay back your debt for the fountain incident?” 

“I don’t know if I’d call it a debt,” Tony said. All of the curious ears in the room that had tuned in now belonged to owners rolling their eyes or shaking their heads. Of course Tony would’ve gotten himself in trouble with the prince. When did he do anything less? “More like, scientists helping each other out—so let me help you out. What’re you working on?” Loki leaned over the tablet, disguising it beneath his arms as he rested his chin on folded fingers. 

“I shall consider what constitutes adequate repayment.” 

“Hey,” Tony said. “I don’t _owe_ you anything. You jumped in. I didn’t ask for your help.” 

Loki raised an eyebrow. For a split second, Tony’s resolve wavered. This was the prince, after all. He had some sense of self-preservation, whether Loki was willing to believe it or not. There couldn’t be a worse person to piss off. It didn’t seem to matter. Loki hummed. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. 

Leaning off the desk, Tony said, “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to help,” he said quickly. Tony nudged the tablet. “Come on. Give me a look.” 

As if it were nothing, Loki slid the tablet towards him. He leaned away from the desk and set his arm against the back of the chair as he studied Tony. The man’s eyes darted over the file at a dizzying pace. “Wow,” Tony said. 

Loki rested his chin against his closed fist, watching Tony and the room alike. The more aware of the group had returned to their own projects. Only a few foolish individuals were still casting curious glances their way. The scientist in front of him was completely absorbed in the file. It was only when Tony went for a stylus that Loki snatched it away. “Another time,” he said. 

“But I—”

“I have things that I would like to accomplish before this day’s end. I cannot have you monopolizing my work. Off,” Loki said. Tony’s hands curled at his sides, lips twisting. He didn’t just want to work on Loki’s project—he needed to. It was far too interesting to let go, and he knew where to make corrections already. One of the scientists that had been there since Tony started caught his eye and shook her strawberry blonde head. Reluctantly, Tony let go and walked back to his own work. 

 

They fell into a pattern after that. Loki would allow Tony to look at his work for as long as his patience would allow. Tony would feverishly try to absorb it all and get his own notes and corrections in before Loki took it away. 

Tony was working towards longer periods of time with Loki. He knew. He was keeping track. 

It wasn’t enough. 

 

There were zero possibilities of running into Loki outside of the laboratory. Tony still wasn’t sure how Loki had found him at the fountain. He didn’t seem to walk back to a place. Most days he just vanished outside of the doors. All of Tony’s plans for coincidental run-ins were useless. 

Tony started attending official palace functions, much to the delight of his father, but Loki was either absent or so deeply embedded in the court that Tony couldn’t get close. He caught Loki’s line of vision once, and that was it. No reaction, just that odd look in his eyes that Tony knew too well. Loki didn’t bring it up. 

They had small conversations during the grace periods before Tony had to hand over Loki’s work. Loki had a subtle, sharp sense of humor. He seemed delighted when Tony got one past him. Or at least, Tony thought that he did. He was never certain. 

After a few months, Tony realized that Loki’s project was coming to an end. He’d disappear to wherever he’d come from until he wanted to use their laboratory again. That could be centuries. 

Tony made a decision. One day when Loki handed the tablet over, Tony took it in his hands as he always did. Without skipping a beat he said, “you should come to my place. I have a lot of projects outside of this lab that you’d like.” Tony kept his voice casual, despite the hammering heart in his chest. His gaze drifted uncritically over the tablet. He watched Loki from the corner of his eye. “I’m working on a flight suit because I can.” 

The prince seemed to consider him for a while before answering with the same restrained, hardly enthusiastic way he always had. “When?” 

Tony had to keep from falling off the table. “Tonight?” 

“Very well.” 

Tony barely saw the tablet in his hands. He took a moment to steady his voice. “Great.” Loki grabbed the tablet back. It was his wordless dismissal, but Tony went back to his table lightheaded. He ignored the few curious looks he got. 

 

That evening, Tony cleaned his shit up in record time, hiding things in drawers and closets, leaving only his most impressive things on display. He’d just thrown a fresh shirt over his head when the doorman announced Loki’s arrival over his quarter’s intercom. Tony ran downstairs and guided Loki to his rooms before anyone else could notice. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were ashamed of inviting me,” Loki said as they walked through the doors. His critical gaze drifted over the room as Tony pulled the doors shut. The first room was a bland entryway, leading to his bedroom and his laboratory, among others. 

“But you know better,” Tony said, walking in front of him. 

“Apparently,” Loki said. As always, he was impossible to read. The prince’s appearance hadn’t changed much from the day. Same golden adornments. Same regal but detached posture and indifferent demeanor. Tony wasn’t sure if it was because of him, or if that was Loki’s default. 

“This way to where the magic happens,” Tony said, briskly heading towards his lab.

“Howard Stark is a valuable man,” Loki said as he followed. “His weapons are well appreciated. Will you carry on his legacy?” 

The question echoed in the lab. “Huh? Sure. Maybe,” Tony said. “Don’t really care.” He grabbed the closest toy and brought it over to Loki like an eager five year old. It was a thin glass frame, no larger than his hands. “Look through this,” Tony said, holding it out to Loki. 

Loki frowned at the glass. He grasped the fine edge of it, holding it up at a distance from his emerald eye. His expression brightened considerably. “You can see magical workings through this,” he muttered in awe. He indulged himself with the glass a while before straightening back up and extending it to Tony. “Why have you not shared this?” 

“I’m not sure what I want to do with it yet,” Tony said. 

“You could make the beginning mages’ lives a good deal simpler,” Loki suggested. 

The inventor pretended to consider that for a few seconds before setting the glass back down on the shelf. He shrugged his shoulders. “Nah,” Tony said. “I might find something better for it.” He hurried over to the arm he’d been engineering. “Okay, you can’t exactly put this on, but look what it can do,” Tony said. He tapped at a control panel. The metal arm rotated over itself, sparking beams of light from it’s fingertips. “And check this out.” The lights changed from red to purple to blue and back again. 

That was when Tony heard Loki’s real laugh for the first time. It was rich, self-assured, and addicting. Tony had to hear it again. The prince didn’t make fun of the arm’s light show outright, but Tony wasn’t deterred. Tony went through all of his work, cracking jokes, trying to draw that laugh out again. He got nothing past a polite chuckle, but there was something dancing in Loki’s eyes. It was enough to go on. 

When Tony got to his last invention, he was struck by the same feeling from the laboratory. After this item, it was just him and Loki. He didn’t know if the prince would excuse himself, or if it’d lead to…what exactly? Tony didn’t know what he was after. 

He just thought that Loki was interesting, and he was invested in the prince’s experimental project, and just wanted to keep flaunting how great he was…

But he set that last item down and it felt like his heart dropped to his stomach. “Wanna work on something together?” He asked, sounding a little desperate even to his ears. 

Loki shook his head. “This has been very engaging,” he said. “But I am afraid I must be getting back.” His eyes settled on Tony, dark and alert. Tony squirmed under that gaze. He pushed on a grin. 

“Well, when you change your mind, let me know, alright? I think better having someone taking research away and keeping me under pressure.” 

The prince grinned, politely perhaps. “Very well,” he said. He waited for something, or maybe he just lingered. Tony had not escaped the entrapment of those eyes. “I shall take my leave then.” 

“See you next time,” Tony said. Loki nodded, and then he was gone. 

Tony sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. He didn’t get himself. What was he doing bringing one of Asgard’s princes into his home? He didn’t know what the intrigue over Loki was. It was probably nothing. He decided not to think too hard about it. Instead he’d just think about getting Loki to come back again. 

 

The next day there were jeers and jokes made at Tony’s expense in the lab. It was one of Loki’s off days, and no one had a problem giving Tony a hard time about trying to suck up to the prince by inviting him over. None of that bothered him. It was only one of Pepper’s offhanded comments that got to him. “Remember Tony, he’s not like the other people you bring home. If you piss off him or the people around him, nothing’s going to be able to save you.” 

“It’s not like that,” Tony said immediately. Pepper shrugged. She had been his mentor for close to three centuries. Tony thought that sometimes she knew him better than he knew himself, and he didn’t like the implication in that this time. He had a wilder weekend than usual to compensate for it. He wasn’t interested in Loki like that, he assured himself.

 

Loki came to his personal laboratory again. He showed Tony a few of the experiments from his project and let Tony go on about it until Tony wore himself out. He paused before leaving and waited like the time before. Tony was no closer to reading him. 

 

The third time, they talked about the prince’s experiment and then Loki just went home. He didn’t wait or pause. He just dismissed himself and left. The next day at the lab, he treated Tony as though he were like any of the scientists. Tony didn’t even get the chance to glance in on his project. 

 

And right after that, Tony realized there was a pattern in the people he was bringing home. Black hair. Green eyes. A distant attitude or thin smile. Better yet, some combination of all of those traits. He groaned as he rolled over in the sweaty sheets, hiding his face and praying that the sleeping person beside him would be gone before he woke up. He was mortified. 

Tony called in sick on Loki’s next in-day, and then spent the rest of it regretting not showing up. If it had turned out to be Loki’s last day on the project, Tony would never forgive himself. 

 

“Come over,” Tony said. Loki glanced up from the beaker in his hand. “This evening,” Tony said. “There’s something I really want to show you.” He walked away without giving Loki a chance to answer. 

That evening, Tony had nothing to show, and Loki’s irritation was the one thing he could read. “Why did you call me here, Stark?” 

The brunette had always had a soft spot for crashing and burning. He chose to dive without looking. “I don’t know how you feel about me,” Tony said, walking around Loki, playing with the pen in his hand. He used his pacing to draw in closer. “But I kind of dig the whole look you’ve got going on.” He stopped right in front of Loki and glanced up. Loki was as indeterminable as ever, nothing but practiced regality and concealed expression. “Can I kiss you?” 

“What?” 

“Can I kiss you?” Tony repeated. He smiled. Loki stared down at him as if he’d misheard. “If you don’t want to that’s fine, but if you want to…” Loki’s expression was softer, but Tony still had no idea what he was working with. The silence wasn’t helping. “Can I?” 

“Yes,” Loki said finally, softly. But he didn’t move. Only his bottom lip parted, ever so slightly. 

Tony stepped in.“Yeah, I’m kinda short, don’t rub it in,” he said. He pushed up on his feet and drew Loki in, as slowly as the dawning realization that this was exactly what he’d been craving would allow. Loki’s lips were soft and pliant. Tony ran his tongue across the bottom one, warm and sweet, before pulling back. “It’s okay, you're not into it,” Tony said. “Totally fine, I get it if—”

“No,” Loki said. His lucid eyes settled on Tony, a faint pink creeping down his neck as his eyes darkened. “That was not what I said,” he declared, trying for playful or teasing and failing at it. This was the first time Tony had seen Loki uncertain of himself. 

“Oh,” Tony said. The silence dragged on until it was painfully uncomfortable. “You wanna…I’ve got some coffee made up, we could talk a little first, if that’s…” Tony cut himself off, would’ve mercy killed himself if he could have. Loki’s face was pinched beneath the trained expression. “Or we could just make out?” 

“That would be preferable.” 

“Thank god,” Tony said. He raced over to the lab couch and threw things onto the floor. Loki hadn’t moved from the spot, as if he had roots. “I promise it’s not gross, there might be a few things crammed down in the cushions, but I promise, it’s way better than the floor.” Whatever had been holding Loki back was broken. He walked to the couch as if on command. Tony grinned as Loki sat down, and as he leaned into Loki, the lips that parted for him were as pliant as ever. What he got in return was soft, and agonizingly slow. It drove the craving inside of him like torture. Loki didn’t feel interested. “It’s fine if you’re not into it, I won’t be offended,” Tony said, parting. 

“That’s not what I said,” Loki whispered. He pressed a closed mouth kiss to the side of Tony’s mouth, closing his eyes. Then another on Tony’s chin, and another, as Tony’s thoughts raced. The last kiss on his lips was desperate. 

“So we’re good?” Tony asked. 

“Mhmm,” Loki muttered, placing another distracting kiss on the corner of Tony’s mouth. 

Tony took the offer this time, his hot tongue sliding along those sharp teeth, the sensation burning down along his skin and fanning the flames to life. Maybe Loki just took his sweet ass time, and fuck, he didn’t really care if he was doing that but, “will you say if you’re not?” Tony gasped, cold air rushing in. It didn’t feel right. Usually people treated him like they had something to prove. 

“I am a prince, I am quite capable of declaring what I want.” Loki leaned back enough to shoot Tony with a particularly nasty glare, but the blush along his neck offset that. 

“Alright then,” Tony said. He went back for a kiss before that acerbic mouth had the chance to take another shot at him. Loki was languid almost, uncertain, but after that outburst he pushed a little harder. Started mirroring Tony back. 

Tony had never had so much trepidation about touching someone in his life. He felt like he was taking his life in his own hands when he set his palm on Loki’s shoulder. It was finally hitting him that this was the _prince_ he was dealing with, and Pepper was right. He had no idea what he was doing. 

Not that it had stopped him before. This certainly wasn’t going well by his standards, but it was satisfying a craving that had been building for months. 

His lips were pleasantly swollen and he had both arms around Loki’s shoulders when a hand pressed to his sternum. 

Loki straightened his collar. “I have to return,” he said simply. Tony’s arms receded as Loki pressed his hair down with flat palms. He rose from the couch. 

Tony panicked. “You’ll come back?” 

“When would that be agreeable?” The prince did not look back to him. There was a large crease on the back of his shirt. 

“Whenever you want,” Tony said. “Seriously, just call me. I’m here half the time working anyway, you can just show up if you want.” 

Loki turned around, a smile lighting up his face uncharacteristically. “I shall,” he said. Again he waited, and again Tony didn’t know what else to say. Then Loki simply vanished. 

 

The next time Loki showed up, he brought a small gemstone. “Put it in the hand,” he told Tony. The scientist practically jogged over to the robotic arm and set it inside. “And turn on the lights.” 

When the first light hit the stone, it sent a dazzling array of sparkling shapes across the lab. “That,” Tony said. “Is awesome.” Loki nodded his head to the side, smiling a bit. “Can I leave it on?” 

“It is yours,” Loki said. 

“You got me a gift,” Tony said. He wouldn’t admit it out right, but it made his chest soar. Loki simply nodded his head at the statement. Tony stared at the light patterns dancing across his lab with a sloppy grin on his face. “I love it,” he said. “And,” he said invitingly, “it’s a great backdrop for making out, just putting that out there…” 

Loki was only watching him speak. That uncertain feeling crept back into Tony. “Wanna…I don’t know?” The prince had started to pace the room. He inspected the various items that Tony had lying about. “Hey, what would you like to do?” 

Loki was starting to have this talent for making Tony feel juvenile, but he was so wrapped up in getting through to Loki that it didn’t sting too bad. “We could start where we left off,” Loki suggested. 

“Before you mysteriously vanished,” Tony said, walking over to the couch. He sat down and slung his arm across the back. Loki sat down on the other side. He did not look entirely comfortable. “I promise the couch is fine,” Tony said. “Maybe not as fancy as the palace—” Loki’s eyes narrowed and he let out a short huffy sigh. Tony made a mental note to not bring the palace back up. “Where’d you go last time?” 

Loki frowned to the side, glaring at a twisted scrap of metal in the distance. “I have a strict schedule,” he said. His eyebrow twitched. “I have little time that is kept wholly to myself.” He closed his eyes and took in a breath. “Such as this. I seldom can stay long.” Tony pulled his legs up onto the couch, bouncing the cushions. “That goes for tonight as well,” he said, finally daring a look in Tony’s direction. 

“That’s fine,” Tony said. “I’m around, whenever, you just take care of that top secret palace business—” He’d mentioned the p-word already. It didn’t matter. Loki smiled genuinely. It felt radiant, in Tony’s perception. He needed more of it. 

Tony moved in closer, meeting Loki’s eyes before softly tilting his head to the side. His whole body was abuzz with the anticipation of getting another hit. 

This time, like the time before, Loki was slow. And Tony was fine with it. He happily soaked it all in, enjoying nothing but that warm breath curling down into his lungs until the ache between his legs demanded to be addressed. Tony groaned, slipping one hand into Loki’s collar and tugging it open. Loki stiffened immediately. 

Tony panicked. “What?” He asked, terrified that he’d messed up. 

Loki’s lips twitched in a grimace. “Leave no mark,” he said. 

Tony sat back on the couch. His face was more than a little flushed, and the erection in his pants was obvious. 

“The court will see,” Loki said. 

“Okay,” Tony said. “No marks.” He leaned forward, pressing an apologetic kiss to Loki’s cheek. They fell into a rhythm again, and Tony found himself pulling Loki over him, urging him to pin him to the couch. “You can put marks on me,” Tony offered breathlessly. 

Loki’s lips finally ventured past his face. Slowly, tracing over the column of his throat, rattling Tony’s head with anticipation. He felt Loki’s hot breath at the juncture of his neck, and then cold fingers lightly pulled back the collar of his shirt. There was a tiny, soft nip. 

Tony’d been open mouthed with his eyes pressed shut. Now he was straining not to laugh. “It’s okay,” Tony said. “I don’t break.” There was a closed mouth kiss on the spot. “Really,” Tony said. He reached down to peel his shirt off. Loki pulled away from him, face flushed dark. He pressed the back of his hand to his lips as he got up from the couch. “I’m sorry,” Tony blurted. “Tell me what I did—”

Loki shook his head. He waved his hand dismissively. “Loki?” Tony fumbled off the couch. “Woah, hey, okay.” He walked around so that he was facing the prince. His heart was beating anxiously, but it was nothing compared to the morbid look on Loki’s downcast face. “You can tell me.” 

The prince took a long, slow breath. He combed his fingers back through his hair. His cheeks were ruddy. 

“Trust me,” Tony said. “Whatever it is, I won’t share. And I’ll tell you some of my worst stuff, if it makes you feel better.” 

After a moment Loki smiled, but it was more self-placating than anything. Maybe it was a little cruel. “I should certainly hope that you know better than to divulge any of this.” 

“I won’t,” Tony said resolutely. 

Loki took a few steps backward and sunk back down onto the couch. He hid his face beneath tented fingers as he rested his elbows on his knees. Tony took a few awkward, uncertain steps closer. “As you are aware, I have little time of my own, yes?” The words were resigned, fearful. Loki took a heavy breath. “I have seldom had the opportunity to—engage with another.” 

“You mean,” Tony said. “You’ve never…” 

Loki’s head snapped up towards him with all the vitriol it could muster. “No. If you think to mock me…” 

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head. “No, no.” He hurried to sit down next to Loki. He wasn’t about to mock Loki, far from it. No, he felt like he’d just taken a kick to the chest. Tony could have anyone he wanted, but to have not had any of that… Loki deserved so much. “I’m not going to make fun of you,” Tony said. He set his hand on Loki’s knee. “Not at all. Honestly, that makes more sense than that you weren’t into me.” He laughed weakly. “Okay, that was shitty. Sorry. Umm, okay. Actually, we can totally work with this.” A grin lit his face like the one he got when he figured something out on the suit. “It’s going to be awesome.” 

Loki stared at him with blatant skepticism. Then he laughed, short and disbelieving. “No really,” Tony said. “Think of everything I can show you. Oh man, I am going to make this awesome for you.” 

“Why would you want to?” Loki asked. 

“Because I like you,” Tony said. “Stupid question.” He batted at Loki’s knee. “Don’t ask stupid questions. I can’t fix all your mistakes, you know.” 

“Debatable,” Loki said. “Your math was wrong last week.” 

Tony shook his head. “We’re not discussing that,” he said. He was still in denial about it. “And I _really_ want to kiss you right now, so if that’s okay…” 

Loki kissed him back with a little more tongue than Tony had come to expect. Before Tony could recover, the prince stood. “Leaving?” Tony asked. Loki nodded his head. He stopped and waited as he always did without saying anything. “Come back anytime,” Tony said. “I mean it.” He grinned. “And it’s going to drive me sort of crazy until you do.” 

As soon as Loki vanished, Tony jumped off the couch. He wanted to run in circles. He hadn’t felt this good in ages. And then he started to remember the things he’d said. 

This was not him. When was the last time he’d tried so hard to please anybody? He’d never been that accommodating with any of the people he’d let into his bed. Usually it was just a simple trade off that was done and over. Well, maybe one or two he’d approached differently, but that was only with people that stuck around in his life for a while. And this…he didn’t know what the hell this was, probably just his reaction to Loki being a prince. Nerves. Nothing else. He didn’t do serious.

He chose to ignore the plain evidence that he spent the rest of the evening like a love sick idiot, refusing to pull the stone from the illuminated hand. 

 

Tony was sitting right by it the next day, soldering a circuit board when he heard Loki’s voice. “What are you working on?” He jumped so hard that he nearly wrecked the damn thing. The prince was standing several yards away, looking slightly harried. 

“Nothing,” Tony shrugged. He shoved a pair of goggles back from his face. “Why?” 

Loki took several short, hard steps towards him before stopping halfway. His shoulders jumped up and down as his hands recoiled from pent up emotion. “I have twelve noblemen that insist that the dues on their treaties have not been properly acknowledged, and I must solve that and a threat made against Thor before addressing the high meeting in two hours.” He walked over to Tony’s desk. “I would much rather see what you are working on instead.” 

“Threats on Thor?” Tony asked. 

“Yes,” Loki said, gazing over the open notes on Tony’s desk. “I believe it is the same member of the court that tried that same particular feat last year,” he said derisively. “He’s not terribly clever. Death by poison is not a common threat, and not a particularly viable one either.” 

“You think the same guy’s making the same threat?” Tony asked. “Shouldn’t he have been…in prison at least or something?” 

“Such were my feelings on the matter,” Loki said. “But it was not to be. It was a particularly colorful day in court.” He grimaced. “And the demand is the same—sparing Thor’s life for a particular tax break—of which only that particular man qualifies. I said he wasn’t terribly clever.” He flipped the page on one of the screens, reading Tony’s notes as he spoke. “Tell me what you work on.” 

“Well, I’m trying to make sure that I use enough solder on this component so that it’ll make a good connection. An hour ago I got distracted thinking about something, put too much on, and the damn solder pooled up outside of the metal pad. It was going to have a short. But this is just a side project. I got stuck on the suit. I needed a break.” 

“Why are you building that suit?” Loki asked. 

“No idea,” Tony said. “Just seems like the right thing to do.” 

Loki seemed to think on that for a moment as Tony stared at him, memorizing the sheen on his inky hair. “I should be getting back,” Loki said. 

“Okay,” Tony said. Loki smiled briefly, and then he was gone. 

Tony slumped back in the chair. “Huh,” he uttered. He dropped his head back, staring at the ceiling. That visit had to be a good sign, right?

He spent the rest of the day with a small smile on the corner of his mouth. He never noticed. Suddenly, he wasn’t stuck on the suit design anymore. 

 

After that, Tony came to expect Loki’s unannounced visits. They were often brief, and half of the time they were only spent talking about the projects that Tony was working on. Tony caught snippets of Loki’s royal life—negotiating behind closed doors, advising his brother on the best moves to make, wearing himself thin with political balancing acts. That he had time to be in Tony’s lab, or the official Asgardian lab, seemed to be an utter miracle. Tony had come to learn that Loki was attending the Asgardian lab on a sabbatical of sorts. He seemed to enjoy playing mind games with the people of the court, and although he never said it outright, Tony got the impression that Loki was obsessed with proving himself a worthy successor to the throne. The prince’s terse conversations became more eloquent and unreserved with each visit. 

And when he didn’t visit for days, or the week that Tony only saw him in the Asgardian laboratory, Tony’s mind ran in circles. He missed the bastard, not that he’d phrase it that way. He merely looked forward to his visits. For the chance to nibble at the alabaster skin that invaded his dreams, or comb his fingers through that thick hair. 

Loki was insecure about touching Tony, there was no way around admitting that. But Tony was patient in the sort of way that should’ve clued the engineer in on the idea that maybe this wasn’t just a fling. On the days when Loki left him alone and aching, Tony played back his favorite memory until he came groaning, usually still in the place where he’d been left behind.

“No, just,” Tony had smiled, placing his hands on either side of Loki’s face. The prince blinked slowly, cheeks flushed as he stared imperially at Tony. That always made Tony want to laugh, that air of authority for the sake of spite. Slowly, brushing his thumbs over Loki’s warm skin, he gently tilted the prince to the side a little. “Like this,” he said softly. The tip of his tongue teased at Loki’s lips before sliding in past their eager departure. Just as Loki thought Tony was pulling away, Tony nibbled his bottom lip in a way that he was certain would send shivers racing down Loki’s spine. The prince groaned as Tony pulled back, rubbing his thumbs teasingly against Loki’s cheekbones. The prince’s lustful eyes flickered open. “Your turn,” Tony said. 

Tony was a damn good teacher. 

He moaned against Loki, and grasped at his shirt the moment that swift nip set on his lips. “Again,” Tony demanded. 

Loki huffed out a quiet laugh. “I should very much like to.” 

Tony knew that tone of voice. “But you have to go already.” 

Loki didn't answer. He just carded his fingers through Tony’s hair as the engineer pouted. Rising from the couch, Loki rubbed his long fingers over his cheeks. The flush vanished. “I said I had a cold the other day,” he said. “I showed up to a meeting with an ambassador without thinking to conceal it.” 

“I didn’t think you could do that trick,” Tony said. Loki glanced away. “Where do people think you go?” Tony asked. He couldn’t hide his arousal with a glamor the way Loki could. He knew he had to make a pretty sight on the couch, and he often found himself wondering how Loki could stand it. 

“They don’t notice a minute here or there,” Loki said. 

“Will you stay longer sometime?” Tony asked, level. Not pleading, or whining, just earnestly asking from the bottom of his throat. 

“Yes.” Loki smiled, a bit mournfully. “As soon as I can orchestrate it.” 

The words lingered unhappily between them until Tony sat forward on the couch. “One more time,” he said. “Please.” 

With a fond smile, for once, Loki indulged him. 

 

Weeks dragged on. The anticipation was killing Tony. He was back to thinking that maybe Loki didn’t find him desirable at all, and the thought would torture him until the days that Loki showed up again. No one had ever looked at Tony the way that Loki did. Tony couldn’t put his finger on what it was at all. Loki certainly didn’t coddle him, or worship the ground he walked on, and he was happy to give Tony back whatever crap the engineer tried getting away with. Sometimes he just showed up and pestered Tony’s experiments. 

Once or twice he’d shown up completely distraught over something that had happened, and Tony would talk him down from it. Loki showed up the night that Tony had a panic attack in the lab and stuck with him through it. Tony was certain that Loki’s absence had been noticed then. When he tried to ask about it, Loki wouldn’t answer him. He’d just touch Tony’s forehead like he had the day at the fountain and Tony would remember just how much power Loki held. It was easy to forget the rest of the time when it was just them. 

Often Loki stayed no longer than five minutes, especially on the weeks that he didn’t show up. His project at the Asgardian laboratory had ended. Tony missed him more than ever, despite clinging to the idea that it was all a meaningless fling. Loki’s visits started becoming apologetic, or desperate. One night was both, crunched for time and rushed. It ended in a hand job that Tony didn’t even feel good about. In fact, he regretted it all the time. If they’d had some actual goddamn time, he could’ve made it satisfying the way Loki deserved it to be, instead of an expression of just how much Tony wanted him. Tony mulled on that more than his projects in the lab. 

Tony was losing sleep over Loki, and they hadn’t even slept together yet. His brain couldn’t accept that, couldn’t acknowledge that break in protocol, in the physics of Tony Stark’s life, so he coated it with another layer of denial and either threw himself into another project or fantasized about getting it right. Or just having some damn time. 

It was fucking unfair, and the one time Tony complained about it, Loki’s searing rebuttal flooded him with a guilt that lasted three whole weeks. Loki didn’t like the situation either. Tony didn’t understand the politics he was dealing with, even when Loki explained. 

And he was getting damn close to complaining again when Loki showed up in the lab. His eyes were bright, alive. “I have time,” he said. 

He’d never seen the prince more excited in his life. He could’ve kicked himself for all of the times that he’d doubted Loki. “Now?” Tony asked. Loki shook his head, fighting a smile from his face. 

“There has been a mishap in the travels of a chancellor, and I have no obligations until tomorrow,” Loki said. His voice was light. Giddy, if Tony could’ve ever applied that word to him. “With the holidays, there are no persons present that require my aid, and Thor and his comrades have already left on a hunting trip. I will not be missed.” 

“A mishap, huh?” Tony teased suspiciously. 

“Genuinely,” Loki said, grinning back at him. “If it had been so easy to orchestrate a calamity that excused me, I would’ve done it a thousand times sooner.” Tony didn’t realize he was smiling dumbly, looking at Loki like the whole world had been granted to him. “I’ve waited enough. I want you _now_.” 

Tony choked out a laugh. He’d never heard Loki be so blunt, and the words had gone straight to his cock. “I don’t think you’ve ever said something like that to me before,” he stuttered out. 

Loki smirked. “I wish I could say the same,” he said. 

“Bedroom,” Tony said, standing up from his chair. He coughed into his hand. His face was a dark red. The tables had turned completely. Had Loki not been so impatient, he may have teased Tony for the flush. It was not quite as easy to draw Tony’s reactions as his own. 

They’d never actually made it to the bedroom before. Tony noticed the dirty laundry on the floor with a twinge of displeasure. He cared, for once. At least the sheets were clean. He shoved a dirty sock under his bed with his foot and when he glanced up, Loki’s shirt was already off. “You weren’t kidding,” Tony said, feeling his cheeks burn. The prince’s broad chest was bare down to his waist, the leathers, shirt, and tunic missing. 

“I certainly was not,” Loki confirmed. His hands moved to his belt. 

“Wait,” Tony said, grabbing his wrist. He dropped his head down, smiling as he muttered a bit. “I…this is kind of the fun part too. Let me?” He heard a short sigh. 

“Make it quick,” Loki said. 

Tony teased his finger along the line of bare skin and trouser. “Are you sure about that?” Loki took a deep breath. Tony’s lips pressed to his neck. They drifted down, reverently along his collarbone. “You have no idea how bad I want this,” Tony muttered. He dropped his forehead against Loki’s tight shoulder. “It’s gonna mess me up if I don’t get it right.” 

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Loki said immediately. “It is not as if you lack in experience.” 

Tony shot him that disapproving look that only showed up around statements like that. “You don’t get it,” Tony said. Somehow he’d gotten both hands onto Loki’s arms. He rubbed his thumbs back and forth, creating goosebumps along the bare flesh. “There’s only one you.” 

“Tony—” Loki said, about to dismiss his sentimentalism. 

“I mean it,” Tony cut him off. The fire in his eyes snuffed out the argument on Loki’s tongue. When he glanced away, Tony pressed his lips to Loki’s chest. “I mean it,” he muttered. He gently nudged Loki back towards the bed, refusing to give up any contact with him until they slowly fell back onto the sheets. 

Tony’s weight pinned Loki to the bed as Tony’s lips met his in that familiar way. It was easy to fall back into that soothing pattern, and for a moment, Loki seemed to let go. But then his fingers slipped under the hem of Tony’s shirt and tugged. “Off with it,” Loki grumbled, tugging at the fabric. 

Tony had it halfway off his head before he realized that wasn’t what he wanted. He let Loki drag the shirt to the bed and drop it on the sheets. The prince ran his hands down Tony’s ribs too tightly. Tony’s nipples were getting rock hard. “Loki,” Tony muttered. His hands were already attempting to undo Tony’s pants. “I haven’t even gotten to undo yours yet.” 

“I’ve waited long enough,” Loki said. 

Tony wriggled up a little higher, groaning as the friction played at his eager erection. He let out a hot breath. He set his arms on both sides of Loki’s head, bracing himself upwards as he stared down at the impatient prince. “Me too,” Tony said. Loki’s thumb snapped open Tony’s pants button and Tony shuddered. “So. Take it. Slow,” Tony said. He pinned his forehead against Loki’s. “Enjoy it.” 

Loki laughed, shaking against him. Some of the impatient tension drained from him as he sank down against the bed, taking his eager hand from Tony’s pants and cradling his face instead. “Oh,” Loki said fondly. He chuckled. “I intend to.” 

“Uh-huh,” Tony said skeptically. He kissed the soft flesh beneath Loki’s jawbone. He let his weight drop down so that the weight of his naked chest was fully supported by Loki’s. He kissed Loki’s neck, sucking at the tender skin for a moment before slowly bringing his lips to Loki’s ear. The prince’s hands had never stopped feverishly exploring the dips and ridges in his back. “Have you thought about how you want this to play out?” Tony whispered. 

Loki’s hand clenched in his hair. He thought for a moment before answering back with a whisper in Tony’s ear. Tony grinned, sitting up. “Fine by me,” Tony said. Loki watched him, rapt, as Tony grinned adoringly down at him. Not that Tony realized he was doing it. He was far too busy reveling in what was about to go down. He reached over to the bedside table. 

Loki turned his head to the side, watching as Tony pulled out a bottle of lube and a bright blue foil square. He tossed them onto the bed. Loki’s verdant eyes followed him as he bent down and kissed a slow, meandering line down his chest. Tony could feel Loki’s heart pounding. The curl of his smile brushed along Loki’s skin. 

Tony took his time, gracing every inch of flesh as he worked lower, fingers teasing the boundary between skin and cloth. Loki was breathing in short, hurried breaths when Tony undid his pants and slowly parted them from his hips, freeing the thick erection there. Tony groaned thinking about it. Once Loki’s pants had been dropped to the floor, Tony made no show of freeing the last articles of clothing that remained. He bent down and took the head of Loki’s cock into his mouth. He moaned. 

“Tony,” Loki said, face flushed and head back as his eyes flickered between open and shut. “I—If you, I’ll—” He writhed, twisting in the bedspread as Tony’s tongue dragged along his salty pre come, devouring it. 

“Couldn’t help myself,” Tony muttered, pressing a kiss to Loki’s hipbone. The prince’s hand brushed through his hair appreciatively. “I want to, for future reference.” 

“I want you to,” Loki said. “For future reference.” The hand in Tony’s hair twitched. “But I want what I asked for, and if you continue…” 

With a prideful little smile Tony began to undo his own pants. Loki sat up. 

He pulled Tony’s hands away and undid the pants himself, bending Tony down onto the mattress until his back was flat against the sheets. Tony’s rich brown eyes settled on him with eager appreciation. He ran his hands down Tony’s hipbones, pressing in and drawing out a groan. The attention made Tony’s flushed cock harder. As Loki peeled back the remainders of Tony’s clothes, he ran his fingers down tense muscles. He had never seen Tony so naked before. A near whimper escaped his lips. “Something—” Tony started. 

“Fine,” Loki assured him. Tony was just completely bared before him, watching him like he might be the center of the universe. A smile crept across Loki’s lips for a few moments before hiding away. He started at Tony’s knees. “You’re gorgeous,” Loki stated simply. 

Tony had heard it before, but this time he felt it. “As if you’re not,” Tony said. 

Loki sat back, slightly hunched and vulnerable between Tony’s legs as his vision wandered anywhere but Tony’s face. Tony grabbed the foil packet off the bed and peeled it open. Loki gasped. Tony rolled the condom on him. He inadvertently pressed his forehead into the engineer’s shoulder. Tony’s hand slipped beneath his jaw and pulled him into a kiss. “Gets fun,” Tony said. “I promise.” 

Fresh pink flushed Loki’s cheekbones as he sat back. Tony pressed the bottle of lube into his hand. “Go slowly,” Tony said. “I will scream in pain if you mess up.” Loki froze. “Kidding,” Tony said. “Come on your highness, I was just—”

Loki flicked at his chest. Tony buckled forward, pretending to be in far more pain than he was as the back of Loki’s hand hit a peaked nipple. “Don’t mock me.” 

Tony rolled his eyes as he grinned, casting a look into Loki’s eyes. He stole a kiss and sat back. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Loki popped open the bottle of lube and dripped it over his fingers, ignoring Tony. When he looked back up, Tony was flat against the bed, holding his knees against his chest. His ass was perfectly bared. 

The bottle slipped from Loki’s hands.

He grasped for it in the sheets, dropping it again before tightly clutching it with both hands. Loki shuffled forward on the bed with his knees. Tony’s eyes fell shut in that first moment when Loki’s finger circled the tight pucker of his ass, Tony’s cock dripping against his chest. Tony was tense, but his desire kept him firmly anchored in place. He let out a sigh as that finger circled again, slowly, certain that Loki was watching his face. Loki pressed the pad of his finger to the tight ring of muscle. “Tony.” 

Tony’s stomach tightened eagerly as the slick finger tapped. Then he heard his name. “I’m so good, don’t stop now.” The finger sank in marginally, not past the first knuckle. Then it paused completely. Tony forced his eyes open. Loki’s face was expressionless, that perfectly practiced look he always had that Tony was finally beginning to be able to read. The tense lock of his eyes on Tony’s gave it away. “Not good?” He asked. 

Loki licked his bottom lip. “Are you alright?” He asked reluctantly. 

“Completely,” Tony said. “You?” 

The finger still inside of him circled slightly. “Yes,” Loki said. Tony clenched the finger playfully. He shut his eyes and laid back completely again. Loki’s motion was sharp and hesitant, his free hand kneading Tony’s thigh somewhat compulsively. 

Tony cracked open an eye. “One, yeah?” Loki looked at him and then down again. 

Tony sat up and grabbed his hand. He pressed his lips to the side of Loki’s face before ravenously going to his mouth, demanding and eager. He patterned kisses down the side of Loki’s face, his jaw, his neck in swift but arousing procession. “You’re doing great,” he said, pressing another kiss to Loki’s cheek. 

Loki sought his mouth again, relaxing in the familiar and intoxicating. The tension drained from his muscles. 

“One,” Tony said. He guided Loki’s freehand back to his cock before lying back down. 

Loki’s long fingers were light, exploring, on the edge of teasing and torture. Then, they were suddenly expert in the same moment that Tony felt the first finger slip inside. He let out a loud groan. “Talent,” Tony muttered. 

“Hmm?” 

Tony chuckled. “Already looking forward to next time.” 

“That assumes a lot,” Loki joked weakly. His brow was wracked in concentration until Tony started talking to him, calming them both. 

Tony turned his head to the side, eyes varying between shut or set on Loki. “I’ve wanted you so bad for so long,” Tony muttered. His low voice urged Loki on, praising and desiring. He spoke Loki’s through it, prodding on fingers that stretched and teased him. The steady stream of words enticed Loki on until his patience and trepidation gave out. Tony jerked suddenly. Loki stopped, but Tony was just staring at him with that lazy smile on his face. “Patience,” Tony teased him. “You’re huge.” Loki rolled his eyes. 

“Flatterer,” he said. 

“Not really,” Tony said honestly. The slow drag of fingers stretching him out was making him dizzy with need. Loki had found his prostrate and was teasing him, taking delight in Tony’s erotic moans.

“Please,” Tony uttered. “Now.” Loki’s hands felt down his slick thighs. “Please.” 

The head of Loki’s cock brushed the eager entrance. “Loki,” Tony groaned. “Forget what I said about patience.” Loki lined up. He paused for a moment, gaze drifting back over Tony’s face. Tony eyes were closed shut. His fingers pressed into Tony’s skin. He pushed in slowly, groaning with Tony as they adjusted. The tight heat sent pleasure racing down Loki’s cock, agonizing his heavy balls as he pushed in further. The heel of Tony’s foot on his shoulder urged him closer. Loki thrusted slowly, letting Tony feel every inch, his loud moans filling the quiet of the room. 

As Tony relaxed, voice inarticulately reverential, Loki found the right pace. He lowered his chest onto Tony’s, seeking that reassuring mouth. It simply accepted him at first, until Tony caught up and started giving back in a way that urged Loki’s thrusts on harder. Tony’s powerful arms came around his back and his hands pulled in. They clenched, grasping, needy. Wandering and seizing whenever Loki hit just right. Tony groaned in his mouth, rutting up against him as Loki’s arms tightened around him. 

Tony’s eyes flickered open as cold air met his mouth. Loki stilled, hard inside of him. Tony clenched against that thick cock, drawing out a groan from the prince staring down at him. They didn’t say anything. Loki thrust hard, balls tightening. He came with a shout, face breaking from that practiced mask into the most beautiful one that Tony had ever seen. 

That finally sent him over the edge he’d been fighting for what felt like forever. His vision whited out as he came. Loki collapsed against him, breathing hard. He stayed, still inside, as Tony’s hand first combed back a dense lock of slick raven hair. Their skin was slick with sweat.

Tony smiled at him when he worked up the energy to pull himself up, slipping out. Tony sat up with him, burying his face in Loki’s neck as the prince’s eyes flickered shut. Tony’s arms held him there, his heart beating fast. 

Tony had just realized that this was not some simple fling. _He was fucked_. 

“You said you have until tomorrow?” Tony asked, voice breaking as the last sense of control that his denial had been giving him fell away. 

“Yes.” 

“Good,” Tony said. He wrapped his hand around the back of Loki’s head and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Loki huffed out a small laugh, trying to push back from Tony and dispose of the condom. He got up from the bed, his flushed back and bare ass making Tony’s head spin. The moment he returned, Tony’s lips were at his neck. 

“Who’s impatient now?” Loki teased him as Tony dragged him back down into the bed. 

“I am,” Tony said. “God, Loki, you have no idea.” 

“I’m certain that I can relate,” Loki said. Tony was all over him, overwhelming every sense as his feverish lips worked their way up Loki’s neck. For a while, he let his fingers roam and explore Tony as he pleased. There was still so much newness. Tony settled against his chest, lying head on Loki’s shoulder and tiredly kissing him. “Let me up for a moment,” Loki said. 

Tony sat up, but as Loki rose from the bed his brow furrowed and his eyes widened, almost wounded. “Where are you going?” 

Loki gave him an amused grin. “I wish to get water.” 

“There’s water in the kitchen,” Tony said, jumping out of bed. 

“I am familiar with your quarters,” Loki said. Tony ignored him. He raced into the other room and came back with a full glass. He set it in Loki’s hands, smearing around the water that had dripped onto the floor with his foot. There was a long bruise up the side of his neck from Loki’s lips. When he glanced up, Loki was staring at him with that same look as the times before. As if he was waiting for something. 

“Stay,” Tony said. 

Loki smirked, raising the glass to his lips. He took a sip. “I haven’t anywhere to be until tomorrow, and I have you before me. Why ever would I leave?” 

Tony lit up like the gemstone Loki had given him. “Well obviously,” Tony said. “I just worry about your judgment sometimes, is all. I mean you have walked out on some pretty good things—”

Loki grabbed Tony’s chin between his thumb and forefinger. “What was it that you were telling me?” He asked. He took another drink, the playful smirk back on his lips. “We have time tonight. Enjoy it.” 

Tony tried to get closer for another kiss, but Loki just held him back as he finished the glass. Then he let Tony have what he wanted. He played the same nipping trick as Tony had taught him before. It worked like a charm. “More,” Tony gasped. 

“Very well.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to come back and play with the Loki is not a sex god/Tony is good with that theme a bit. 
> 
>   _Also, please don't assume condom=perfect safe sex portrayal, this fic would not make the exemplary portrayal cut. Always do your homework._
> 
> _This fic is only available on aO3 and cannot be posted, duplicated, or copied anywhere else._


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